[WATCH] Minister Chris to tourism minister: ‘Help Hugo’s because they always helped us’

Raw footage has emerged of Luke Chetcuti talking about being given a beach concession at St George’s Bay

A screen shot from the footage shot at Hugo's Hotel in Paceville, showing Luke Chetcuti talking with an employee
A screen shot from the footage shot at Hugo's Hotel in Paceville, showing Luke Chetcuti talking with an employee
Minister Chris to tourism minister: ‘Help Hugo’s because they always helped us’

Raw footage has emerged of Luke Chetcuti of the Hugo’s Group talking about how he solicited the help of “a minister” to get a piece of the beach at St George’s Bay.

The footage was filmed by the crew of the French TV programme Enquête Exclusive at Chetcuti’s flagship hotel in Paceville.

The footage in the documentary was dubbed in French but now, raw footage showing Chetcuti speaking in Maltese to a hotel employee has emerged on an anonymous Rutube account.

Chetcuti tells his employee that he went to eat with “Chris, the minister”. The name is understood to refer to Economy Minister Chris Cardona.

During the conversation with “Chris”, Chetcuti appears to have brought up the request for his hotel to be granted a concession on St George’s Bay, adjacent to the one already assigned some years ago to the Intercontinental Hotel. 

Chetcuti is heard saying that “Chris” instantly messaged “the tourism minister”, telling him to “help Hugo’s because they always helped us”.

The tourism minister allegedly replied that the beach was too small but he could see what could be done to enlarge it.

When the original documentary was broadcast, a government statement quoted Cardona saying that he regularly met businesspeople and “due process is always followed in all cases”. Mizzi has denied planning to use influence to expand the bay.

Standards Commissioner George Hyzler is investigating the case.